The subject matter of the invention is a control arrangement for a gas stove having at least one gas burner, with the control arrangement comprising at least one control element for switching the gas burner on and off, at least one signal transducer generating a signal depending on the position of the control element and at least one first electrical control apparatus controlling the ignition or extinguishing of a flame on the gas burner depending on the signal of the signal transducer.
Control arrangements of the said type are embodied such that an operator is able to control the switching on and off of the gas burner and the adjustment of the flame size by rotating the control element. In particular, the gas burner can also be switched on by simply rotating the control element, it is not necessary to push the control element in an axial direction or to hold it in a certain position.
The switching on and off of the gas burner is completely controlled by the first control apparatus as a function of the output signal of the, as a rule, electrical signal transducer on the control element. Aside from the signal of the signal transducer on the control element, the first control apparatus also analyzes a signal from a flame monitor. The signal of the flame monitor further specifies whether or not a flame is present on the burner. The first control apparatus thereupon controls a shut-off valve and an ignition apparatus. The ignition apparatus allows sparks to be generated in the region of the burner in order to ignite the gas escaping from the burner. The shut-off valve is arranged in the gas path upstream of a flow control valve, which is likewise actuated with the control element. The shut-off valve is spring-loaded in the closed position and can be electromagnetically opened against the spring force. The electromagnet for opening the shut-off valve is controlled by the first control apparatus.
In the case of prior art gas stoves equipped with generic control arrangements, the burner power is controlled exclusively with the flow control valve which can be actuated with the control element. The flow cross-section in the flow control valve can be continuously adjusted here by the operator. The flow cross-section in the flow control valve is fixedly preset for the smallest possible burner capacity, for instance by means of its own flow channel.
The publications EP 1 215 441 A2 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,638 also disclose reducing the heat quantity output by the burner in a gas stove to below the smallest burner power which is inherent to the design. To this end, the flame on the burner is continuously ignited and extinguished again so that an average heat capacity is produced over time, which is less than the power of the burner with the smallest flame. These prior art control arrangements nevertheless require specially adjusted components, for instance a shut-off valve with two magnetic coils, or they are not suited to operation with a flame monitor.